There was a bit of melancholy in the air today and I am not sure why. It is my birthday after all, and I am always so happy just to have one every year. So when my reflections regarding what was going on with me resulted in no satisfying answer, I decided to stop looking for the reason and just focus on changing the mood channel to something more pleasing. It is snowing here today and very cold. No sun either. But the birds feasting at our feeders are in full force and that is what did it for me. I found myself gazing out our family room window at the Taj Mahal of bird feeders that my husband has created, while simultaneously eating my obligatory birthday bag of potato chips (albeit a small one as I have absolutely no ability to portion control with those). This seemed to be the perfect combination to elevate my mood. Watching these delicate creatures thoroughly enjoy their free meal in relative safety (no hawk in the area currently) was just what I needed to shift my attention from a bit of gloom to delighted amazement. What keeps these critters going in this climate? Do they talk to each other about the smorgasbord that is available at the Ebinger’s? How do they so accurately flit from one perch to the next with such ease? Where are the neighborhood squirrels today? There’s usually at least one trying to launch successfully to dinner.
Taking time to just observe. Getting out of my head and allowing myself to simply experience the beauty of the ordinary can be so life affirming for me, if I let it. When I am intentional about doing this, I seem to effortlessly shift into that heart brimming space of gratitude. It is these unexpected moments, that I think are innocuous, which nudge me to remember that I am part of something much larger than myself.
I have the ability to design the context from which I see the world and where I fit. During my final year as a fifty something, I hope to get better at choosing the best lens through which to look, so I might be more regularly reminded of the beauty of simply being alive.
